On September 11th, 22 years later, what are we to make of it all? Who even remembers that, as the Pentagon burned, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld picked up a scrap of hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 from the smoking ruins of that building. Soon after, he would tell his aides (as one of them … Continue reading “How 9/11 Bred a ‘War on Terror’ From Hell”
Is the CIA in Your Underwear?
In a year, if a friend asks you if the CIA is in your underwear, you’d probably not take the question seriously. You’d be wrong. The CIA is spending millions in tax dollars to get into your underwear next year. Eleven years ago, when this column asked if the CIA was in your kitchen, folks … Continue reading “Is the CIA in Your Underwear?”
In Ukraine, the Best Plan B Is the Plan Before Plan A
There is a dawning realization that the war in Ukraine is not going to end with the Ukrainian counteroffensive. It is not going to end with a military victory for Ukraine, and it is not going to end by attaining the goals necessary to force Russia to concede Ukraine’s key demands at the negotiating table. … Continue reading “In Ukraine, the Best Plan B Is the Plan Before Plan A”
Prioritizing Human Rights in Relations with Saudi Arabia
The Saudis picked us up from the detention center in Daer and put us in a minibus going back to the Yemen border. When they released us, they created a kind of chaos; they screamed at us to “get out of the car and get away.” … this is when they started to fire mortars … Continue reading “Prioritizing Human Rights in Relations with Saudi Arabia”
Is CIA Director Bill Burns a Biden Yes-Man, a Putin Apologist, or a Peacemaker?
Lost in a chaotic hall of mirrors of its own creation, the CIA has generally failed in its one and only legitimate task, to provide U.S. policymakers with accurate intelligence about the world beyond the Washington echo-chamber to inform U.S. decision-making. If, unlike many of his predecessors, President Biden actually wanted to be guided by … Continue reading “Is CIA Director Bill Burns a Biden Yes-Man, a Putin Apologist, or a Peacemaker?”
22 Years of Drone Warfare and No End in Sight
In a June 2012 piece headlined “Praying at the Church of St. Drone,” I wrote, “Be assured of one thing: whichever candidate you choose at the polls in November, you aren’t just electing a president of the United States; you are also electing an assassin-in-chief.” At that time, President Barack Obama was overseeing what came … Continue reading “22 Years of Drone Warfare and No End in Sight”
From the Partial Test Ban Treaty to a Nuclear Weapons-Free World
This September is the sixtieth anniversary of U.S. and Soviet ratification of the world’s first significant nuclear arms control agreement, the Partial Test Ban Treaty. Thus, it’s an appropriate time to examine that treaty, as well as to consider what might be done to end the danger of nuclear annihilation. Although the use, in 1945, … Continue reading “From the Partial Test Ban Treaty to a Nuclear Weapons-Free World”
A Tale of Two Coups
“International law” and the “rules-based international order” sound like the same thing. They’re not. International law is the Charter international system firmly built upon the foundation of the United Nations. It is impartial and applies to everyone. Rules-based law is the preferred system of the political West, and it is built upon the structure of … Continue reading “A Tale of Two Coups”
Iraq Weekly Roundup: Six Killed
Fifteen protestors were also killed.
The GOP Declares War on Mexico
The 8 candidates for the Republican presidential nomination featured in the August 23 televised debate feuded on several issues, including U.S. aid to Ukraine and the future role of former president Donald Trump. There was no meaningful discord on one issue, however. All 8 participants agreed that the flow of illegal drugs out of Mexico, … Continue reading “The GOP Declares War on Mexico”